Ohio State Football: Dontre Wilson Is College Football’s Most Undervalued Player

Vertical lines are supposedly slimming. But if Dontre Wilson looks bulkier when he takes the field for his sophomore season this fall, it won’t necessarily be because he traded in the Ohio State’s No. 1 jersey for the more familiar No. 2 in the offseason.

The Buckeyes’ most highly-touted freshman a season ago, Wilson was supposed to play the “Percy Harvin role” in Urban Meyer’s spread offense, a do-it-all wide receiver-running back hybrid who would be the perfect complement to OSU’s already dynamic backfield. Only Wilson’s size—he was listed at 5’10”, 174 pounds in his freshman campaign—made him more of a novelty, with the DeSoto, Texas, native only accumulating 53 offensive touches and 460 yards in 2013.

That was a far cry from what was expected of Wilson at the start of his college career, and he’s well aware. That’s why the former Lone Star State star spent the majority of his first college offseason in the weight room, determined to bulk up to a size that will allow him to sustain an entire season.

Wilson’s weight isn’t all that’s changed, however, as he’s also now listed as a wide receiver on the Buckeyes roster. That’s something that wouldn’t have been possible a year ago, thanks to both his size and understanding of the OSU playbook.

“He couldn’t play receiver last year. He didn’t know what the hell he was doing,” Buckeyes offensive coordinator Tom Herman…